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Commission proposes cap on biofuels production

Energy commissioner Günther Oettinger and climate action commissioner Connie Hedegaard have announced commission proposals to cap the production of food-based biofuels at the present levels. The proposal, announced on 17 October 2012, aims to limit the use of food-based biofuels to five per cent in an attempt to stimulate the development of alternative biofuels, which emit fewer greenhouse gases. Both commissioners told stakeholders that, while the current proposal is not perfect it is still important.The change in outlook from the commission has come with the introduction of indirect land use change (ILUC) - an estimate of global land conversion impacts - which is now taken into consideration when assessing the greenhouse gases produced by biofuels. According to the commission, recent scientific studies have shown that some biofuel cultivation has led to food production being shifted to non-agricultural lands, such as forests. It is hoped that, despite capping biofuels, the 2020 target of increasing the 10 per cent target for renewable energy in the transport section can be maintained and the overall renewable energy and carbon intensity reduction targets can be kept.